When the bell tolls: After-school care, a valuable public health tool

October 8, 2026

by Peter Barclay

When the bell rings at the end of each school day, most parents assume their child’s day of learning has ended. Yet for hundreds of thousands of children, that two or three-hour period between school and home has quietly become one of the most influential periods of the day.

These are the hours spent in Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) programs, a sector traditionally viewed as a practical childcare solution for working families. New research from Adelaide University suggests that perspective may be far too narrow.

The findings indicate OSHC services could be an untapped public health resource that can improve children’s physical activity levels, reduce screen time, support mental wellbeing, and influence lifelong health outcomes.

For a generation growing up amid unprecedented screen exposure, mounting concerns about childhood inactivity, and increasing rates of obesity and lifestyle-related disease, the implications are profound.

Changing the conversation

The catalyst for my enquiry is a major Adelaide University study examining the effectiveness of Activated OSHC, an evidence-based training and accreditation program designed to increase physical activity and reduce screen time in OSHC environments. The program was developed in collaboration with educators, government agencies, health experts, and the OSHC sector itself.

Researchers evaluated almost 200 OSHC services caring for approximately 10,000 children across Australia. The results were striking. Services that completed the Activated OSHC accreditation process demonstrated:

More than seven times the likelihood of meeting recommended physical activity and screen time targets.
A 23 per cent increase in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity among children attending before-school care.
Three times the likelihood of staff demonstrating positive physical activity-promoting behaviours.

These outcomes are significant because they show that children’s activity levels are not solely determined by family choices or individual motivation. Environment matters.

Lead researcher Professor Carol Maher argues that the focus needs to shift away from placing responsibility entirely on parents and children and toward creating activity-supporting environments. The training program concentrates on staff practices, available activities, and policy development rather than attempting to change children’s behaviour directly.

This distinction may be the study’s most important contribution.

The hidden hours

Health experts have long concentrated on physical education classes, organised sport, and family lifestyle choices. Yet modern family life has altered dramatically.

In Australia alone, more than 500,000 children attend OSHC services each week. Similar patterns exist across New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe, and parts of North and South America.

These programs frequently occupy the exact period of the day when children are most vulnerable to sedentary behaviour.

Previous research involving OSHC settings found enormous variation between services, with some children spending around 60 per cent of their after-school care time inactive. Formal physical activity policies were often absent, and screen use varied dramatically between centres.

Adelaide University’s work shows that these hours are not simply holding patterns between school and home. They are intervention opportunities.

If children spend ten to fifteen hours each week in an environment that actively encourages movement, the cumulative effect becomes substantial.

Healthier outcomes

The concern is not merely about burning energy.

Physical activity during childhood has been consistently linked to healthier cardiovascular systems, stronger bones, improved metabolic health, better emotional regulation, enhanced concentration, improved sleep quality, and higher academic engagement.

Conversely, a growing body of research associates excessive sedentary behaviour and recreational screen time with poorer physical fitness, disrupted sleep patterns, reduced social interaction, and increased risk of chronic disease later in life.

The Adelaide researchers note that only one in four Australian children currently achieve recommended levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, while only one in three meet screen time guidelines.

Unfortunately, these statistics mirror trends observed throughout much of the developed world. The challenge, therefore, is not simply encouraging children to move more. It is redesigning the environments in which they spend their time.

Lessons from Canada

Canada offers one of the clearest examples of how after-school programs can be deliberately used to improve public health.

Ontario’s After School Program explicitly focuses on sport, physical activity, and healthy eating. The initiative serves thousands of children annually and aims to provide at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity each day alongside healthy snacks and broader wellbeing education.

Similarly, educational and health agencies in Alberta recommend that after-school care programs provide at least 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity, limit unnecessary device use, ensure trained staff leadership, and actively include children at greater risk of inactivity.

These approaches closely mirror principles emerging from the Adelaide research. Both recognise that quality programming, staff capability, and environmental design matter just as much as access to facilities.

Active clubs

In the UK, active after-school clubs are increasingly being recognised as an important contributor to children’s physical activity levels.

Research examining primary school children after the COVID-19 lockdowns found that active clubs had become even more important in supporting movement opportunities. Participation in school-based active clubs increased, highlighting the growing role schools and after-school providers play in children’s health.

Across Britain, many wraparound care providers explicitly frame after-school programs as tools for improving physical wellbeing, confidence, resilience, and social skills rather than simply providing supervision.

The shift reflects a broader understanding that healthy habits are often formed outside formal classroom instruction.

Europe’s activity ‘systems’

Across Europe, childhood physical inactivity is increasingly viewed through a systems lens.

Rather than focusing purely on physical education classes, policymakers are examining entire activity ecosystems: schools, families, neighbourhoods, transport systems, sports clubs, and after-school programs.

This systems-based approach closely aligns with the philosophy behind Activated OSHC.

The Adelaide findings support the growing international consensus that lasting behaviour change emerges when healthy choices become the easiest choices. Children are more active when movement is embedded within their environment rather than presented as an obligation.

The Brazilian perspective

Brazil offers another interesting perspective.

The country’s physical activity researchers have repeatedly highlighted the urgent need for policies that promote movement among children and adolescents. National analyses have shown that physical inactivity remains a significant challenge, while researchers have called for stronger, coordinated policy approaches across community, school, and family settings.

Brazilian after-school programs commonly integrate sports, martial arts, dance, soccer, movement-based recreation, and social development as part of holistic child development.

This integrated philosophy echoes a central message emerging from Adelaide: physical activity is not merely exercise. It is an essential component of healthy childhood development.

That knarly screen time issue

One of the most compelling aspects of the Activated OSHC model is its dual focus. The program does not simply promote movement. It also aims to reduce screen exposure.

This matters because the battle against inactivity is no longer only about encouraging exercise. Increasingly, it is about reclaiming time.

These days, children compete against highly engaging digital entertainment platforms designed to capture attention for extended periods. The Adelaide research suggests that structured policies, trained staff, and appealing activity options can significantly alter that balance.

In practical terms, replacing even a portion of passive screen time with active play can generate meaningful health benefits.

Challenges to overcome

The Adelaide study also revealed a reality often missing from public health success stories. Implementation is difficult.

Although around 80 per cent of participating services registered for Activated OSHC, fewer than half completed the full accreditation process. Importantly, services that failed to complete accreditation did not demonstrate the same improvements seen in fully accredited centres.

That finding, I think, carries an important warning. As with food education, evidence alone does not create change.

Busy services need resources, training, leadership support, and practical implementation strategies. Without those supports, even well-designed programs may struggle to achieve widespread impact.

Benefits beyond childhood

For decades, the conversation about children’s health has largely centred on schools, sporting clubs, and families.

The Adelaide University research suggests we may have overlooked one of the most powerful environments of all.

OSHC services sit at a unique intersection of education, childcare, recreation, and community wellbeing. They already have the infrastructure, staff relationships, and daily contact with children required to influence behaviour at scale.

With proper support, they could become one of the most cost-effective public health platforms available, and their significance extends beyond childhood.

Active children are more likely to become active adults. Habits established between the ages of five and twelve often persist for decades. When children develop positive associations with movement, outdoor play, teamwork, physical confidence, and especially knowledge around healthy food choices, they acquire assets that can protect their health throughout life.